Qualcomm’s rapid smartphone-charging technology arrives in Japan

New NTT Docomo’s smartphone users soon notice that it takes a lot less time for their devices’ battery meters to reach full charge. Japan’s Docomo will be one of the first carriers to sell phone chargers using Qualcomm’s new Quick Charge 2.0 technology, which will reduce the time to fill up a phone battery up to 75 percent faster.

The phone or tablet tells the adapter’s power management chip to deliver more power to the device, charging it more quickly. Standard chargers run at 5 volts, while Quick Charge 2.0 can run at 6, 9, and 12 volts. So to fully charge a 3300mAh battery, a standard charger would take 270 minutes, while a charger with Quick Charge 2.0 could take as little as 96 minutes.

Starting this summer, Qualcomm will begin selling Quick Charge power adapters as well as complement of smartphones and tablets capable of using them, though neither Qualcomm nor NTT Docomo named any specific models.